Hi, well I don't know if anyone even still reads my blog because I update is so infrequently (I swear I'm trying to get better at that), but I have an announcement! I moved to the Upper West Side on May 1st!! So I kind of need to change the name of this blog...to maybe westsidefoodie?? I will miss the West Village immensely but I have to say I am SO SO happy with my new neighborhood and apartment. I just needed more space and less tourists...And it's hard to beat having Central Park as your backyard.
That's all for now, restaurant reviews will commence as soon as unpacking is completely finished!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Blue Hill: A
Blue Hill is nestled on Washington Place off of 6th Avenue. Actually I should probably say Blue Hill is nestled below Washington Place off of 6th Avenue. The restaurant is barely discernible amongst a row of lovely stone and brick townhouses - the only sign of a restaurant is a literal sign, or plaque, reading Blue Hill in stately letters and an awning arching over the quaint brick stairs leading down to Blue Hill's dining room. The dining room is actually beneath street level, but instead of giving the restaurant an eerie basementy feel, it is cozy and almost exclusive feeling - like a kind of elegant old boys club (is that an oxymoron?) but without the inherent sexism. The waitstaff is attentive, if not a bit overly serious, but then again that's probably their perogative. But waitstaff never factors in too too much to my overall rating of a restaurant because really I'm there for the food - unless the waitstaff spits in my food in front of me, I'm not too concerned.
The meal started with, well wine of course, but first an amuse bouche/crudite of sorts. Blue Hill, known for their Blue Hill Farm in upstate NY where they get all their produce and meat, seems to rejoice in proving that pure, unadulerated, local food is tastier (and healthier I suppose) than preserative riddled supermarket food anyway. This seems to be a popular notion these days but Blue Hill undertakes the task with ease and elegance...not that there's anything wrong with screaming "organic" and "local" from the rooftops, but the quality and freshness of Blue Hill's food is so ingrained in the philosophy of the restaurant, there seems no need to announce it or make a big show. Back to the crudites! Now I am not a big vegetable fan so this should mean a lot coming from me - the quality of taste of these lone vegetables was magical...or maybe the taste seemed magical to me precisely because I've been flushing vegetables down the toilet since I was five. The carrot, beet and spinach were crisp, fresh, salty and enormously rich in flavor.
I next had the fennel soup, which was as warming and thick and lovely as a soup can be. I also had a bite of This Morning Farm Egg which was, as you can imagine, extremely fresh, but not for yolk haters, as the gooey yolk oozed about the plate begging to be sopped up with a chunk of hearty baguette.
For my entree I had the grass-fed lamb. I love lamb and this dish was no exception, but it wasn't knock your socks off good like I expected. Meaning there wasn't any "extra" flavor or kick to take it from being delicious to outstanding, like the previous courses. However I ended on possibly the higest note possible. Yes, that's right, dessert! I finihsed with the steamed cheesecake: "..dark chocolate, roasted peanuts & maldon salt" umm how can you go wrong with that??? This was serious cheesecake, not overly heavy like some cheesecakes tend to be, turning your stomach after the first few bites, just the perfect balance between heaviness and lightness and the peanuts (an odd choice I thought at first) added a wonderful salty kick to the dark chocolate. I must also reccomend the Passionfruit Souffle - although I did not taste it due to my aversion to fruit, it received rave reviews from all around the table.
And that folks, was the end to a magical evening!
The meal started with, well wine of course, but first an amuse bouche/crudite of sorts. Blue Hill, known for their Blue Hill Farm in upstate NY where they get all their produce and meat, seems to rejoice in proving that pure, unadulerated, local food is tastier (and healthier I suppose) than preserative riddled supermarket food anyway. This seems to be a popular notion these days but Blue Hill undertakes the task with ease and elegance...not that there's anything wrong with screaming "organic" and "local" from the rooftops, but the quality and freshness of Blue Hill's food is so ingrained in the philosophy of the restaurant, there seems no need to announce it or make a big show. Back to the crudites! Now I am not a big vegetable fan so this should mean a lot coming from me - the quality of taste of these lone vegetables was magical...or maybe the taste seemed magical to me precisely because I've been flushing vegetables down the toilet since I was five. The carrot, beet and spinach were crisp, fresh, salty and enormously rich in flavor.
I next had the fennel soup, which was as warming and thick and lovely as a soup can be. I also had a bite of This Morning Farm Egg which was, as you can imagine, extremely fresh, but not for yolk haters, as the gooey yolk oozed about the plate begging to be sopped up with a chunk of hearty baguette.
For my entree I had the grass-fed lamb. I love lamb and this dish was no exception, but it wasn't knock your socks off good like I expected. Meaning there wasn't any "extra" flavor or kick to take it from being delicious to outstanding, like the previous courses. However I ended on possibly the higest note possible. Yes, that's right, dessert! I finihsed with the steamed cheesecake: "..dark chocolate, roasted peanuts & maldon salt" umm how can you go wrong with that??? This was serious cheesecake, not overly heavy like some cheesecakes tend to be, turning your stomach after the first few bites, just the perfect balance between heaviness and lightness and the peanuts (an odd choice I thought at first) added a wonderful salty kick to the dark chocolate. I must also reccomend the Passionfruit Souffle - although I did not taste it due to my aversion to fruit, it received rave reviews from all around the table.
And that folks, was the end to a magical evening!
Friday, February 1, 2008
Rocco: A (for canolis/dessert)
Wow, can I just say that Rocco's has the best canolis I've ever had...I was never a huge fan of canolis until I tried a chocolate canoli at Rocco's. And now I am seriously of the opinion that there are few better desserts. A small chocolate canoli at Rocco's is perfect as an extremely satisfying, but small and not too heavy dessert (well not too heavy for me but I'm a big dessert eater). The filling is not gooey nor is it fluffy, the consistency is more solid, more confection-ey (if that's a word). Have you ever had a real whoopie pie (being from Maine, I've had dozens but upon moving anywehre else in the United States, I find there's a vast shortage of real, homemade whoopie pies, otherwise known as moon pies...but if you call it a moon pie, you've probably never had a real whoopie pie)? Well the filling of the canoli is similiar to the homemade filling of the best whoopie pie you've ever had (in this case, Mrs. Unnold's famous homemade whoopie pies, which I have the recipe for if you're interested).
Alas the picture is not of the famous Rocco canoli but of another dessert there. I forget the name of it, but that's not important because this is just a filler picture until I get a picture of a canoli. Not to say the other desserts aren't tasty, they are very, but they don't have the same jaw-dropping quality of the canolis.
Alas the picture is not of the famous Rocco canoli but of another dessert there. I forget the name of it, but that's not important because this is just a filler picture until I get a picture of a canoli. Not to say the other desserts aren't tasty, they are very, but they don't have the same jaw-dropping quality of the canolis.
Cafe Condesa: A+
Wow, I can't believe it's been a MONTH since I last posted. My excuse is really my puppy, Franklin. And that's not really an excuse but sadly he's pretty much all I think about now. So clearly that needs to change and I need to get some kind of an adult life back...but before I review Cafe Condesa, perhaps a picture of Franklin to get things started??
How cute is he????
Ok also before I start this "review/personal restaurant experience" I have to admit that I've pretty much stopped taking pictures during my meals out. This is due to the fact that I find the flash going off every ten minutes very rude and annoying, and so from now on, unless the mood in the restaurant strikes me as being incredibly casual and the other people in the restaurant are hippies or don't care about being blinded by my flash, I'm going to refrain from taking pictures. Sorry. But I'll try to be better about updating my blog from now on, pictures or no pictures.
Cafe Condesa has been one of my favorite restaurants in the West Village since the first time I took my friend Akeli there on a whim. I don't think I had read any formal reviews of the place but I skimmed a bunch of five star yelp reviews and decided to give it a try. Mostly I was intrigued by the resounding "excellent food at strangely inexpensive prices" sentiment in all of the reviews. I've been to Cafe Condesa four or five times now and I can truly attest to that sentiment. It's not just that the food is amazing (and we'll get to the specifics in a moment), it's that the prices are so low, not only for the West Village, but also New York City in general, that each bite becomes even more heavenly because you can't believe the deal you're getting.
The best appetizer I've tried, and I've tried it several times now, is the baguette and warm brie, drizzled with honey and pinenuts. It's probably pretty difficult to go wrong with an appetizer like this, yet I've never had anything so tasty in all of my life that contained the same simple ingredients of baguette and warm brie. The brie to baguette ratio is perfect and the warm brie itself is just the right temperature and gooiness. The honey is wonderfully sweet and sticky. In other words, I have never ordered this and not gobbled down every last bit of baguette and brie and everyone who has shared this appetizer with me has been equally delighted.
I have two favorite main courses, both fish: Lemon Sole and Striped Bass. To be fair, I didn't get to enjoy more than a couple of bites of the Striped Bass because my sister ordered it and, while she's very generous and I'm sure would have given me as much as I could eat, I saw her face light up in pure pleasure after the first bite and didn't want to rob her of her happiness. Both fishes are cooked perfectly, so that the fish is melt in your mouth but not at all fishy tasting. The sides, "mashed potatoes, spinach and a parsley lemon butter sauce" for the Sole, and "tomato, poblano pepper and capers with plantains and rice" for the Bass, compliment the fishes perfectly.
For dessert I have only tried one: the chocolate souffle cake with (I believe) espresso gelato. Kind of a tried-and-true staple dessert, but nonetheless one of the richest and most heavenly chocolate souffle cakes I've ever had. The extreme richness of the gooey cake, balances perfectly with the sweet lightness of the espresso gelato.
The reason this is the first ever restaurant to receive an A+ is because for once I have found a restaurant in the west village with amazing food where I didn't feel like I was still getting swindled by the price. Too often I end an amazing meal with the sentiment "Wow that was exquisite but I sure am paying for it." At the end of a meal at Cafe Condesa I guarantee the only thought going through your head will be "Can this bill be right??" as you prance out the door, body filled with a delicious meal and pockets filled with enough money for dinner next week at Cafe Condesa.
How cute is he????
Ok also before I start this "review/personal restaurant experience" I have to admit that I've pretty much stopped taking pictures during my meals out. This is due to the fact that I find the flash going off every ten minutes very rude and annoying, and so from now on, unless the mood in the restaurant strikes me as being incredibly casual and the other people in the restaurant are hippies or don't care about being blinded by my flash, I'm going to refrain from taking pictures. Sorry. But I'll try to be better about updating my blog from now on, pictures or no pictures.
Cafe Condesa has been one of my favorite restaurants in the West Village since the first time I took my friend Akeli there on a whim. I don't think I had read any formal reviews of the place but I skimmed a bunch of five star yelp reviews and decided to give it a try. Mostly I was intrigued by the resounding "excellent food at strangely inexpensive prices" sentiment in all of the reviews. I've been to Cafe Condesa four or five times now and I can truly attest to that sentiment. It's not just that the food is amazing (and we'll get to the specifics in a moment), it's that the prices are so low, not only for the West Village, but also New York City in general, that each bite becomes even more heavenly because you can't believe the deal you're getting.
The best appetizer I've tried, and I've tried it several times now, is the baguette and warm brie, drizzled with honey and pinenuts. It's probably pretty difficult to go wrong with an appetizer like this, yet I've never had anything so tasty in all of my life that contained the same simple ingredients of baguette and warm brie. The brie to baguette ratio is perfect and the warm brie itself is just the right temperature and gooiness. The honey is wonderfully sweet and sticky. In other words, I have never ordered this and not gobbled down every last bit of baguette and brie and everyone who has shared this appetizer with me has been equally delighted.
I have two favorite main courses, both fish: Lemon Sole and Striped Bass. To be fair, I didn't get to enjoy more than a couple of bites of the Striped Bass because my sister ordered it and, while she's very generous and I'm sure would have given me as much as I could eat, I saw her face light up in pure pleasure after the first bite and didn't want to rob her of her happiness. Both fishes are cooked perfectly, so that the fish is melt in your mouth but not at all fishy tasting. The sides, "mashed potatoes, spinach and a parsley lemon butter sauce" for the Sole, and "tomato, poblano pepper and capers with plantains and rice" for the Bass, compliment the fishes perfectly.
For dessert I have only tried one: the chocolate souffle cake with (I believe) espresso gelato. Kind of a tried-and-true staple dessert, but nonetheless one of the richest and most heavenly chocolate souffle cakes I've ever had. The extreme richness of the gooey cake, balances perfectly with the sweet lightness of the espresso gelato.
The reason this is the first ever restaurant to receive an A+ is because for once I have found a restaurant in the west village with amazing food where I didn't feel like I was still getting swindled by the price. Too often I end an amazing meal with the sentiment "Wow that was exquisite but I sure am paying for it." At the end of a meal at Cafe Condesa I guarantee the only thought going through your head will be "Can this bill be right??" as you prance out the door, body filled with a delicious meal and pockets filled with enough money for dinner next week at Cafe Condesa.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Deborah: A (for brunch)
I've been having a love affair with Deborah's brunch ever since I passed it on the way to another restaurant and decided to be spontaneous and give it a try. I am so glad that I did; there must have been something in the air that lead me to Deborah that morning. Because there are so many quaint restaurants on beautiful tree-lined streets in the West Village, I never would have tried Deborah out on appearances alone. It's located on Carmine street, one of the more busy/less cutesy streets of the village, down the street from Grey Dog's coffee. It's absolutely nothing special from the outside and someone with refined taste might even find the location and appearance a bit tacky. And that's fine with me - I've never once waited for a table during prime Sunday brunch hour and I can attest to the fact that Deborah's brunch merits an hour wait easily. My point is, I don't know exactly what drew me to Deborah that morning long ago but my standards for brunch are forever changed because of it.
I've enjoyed brunch at Deborah's a handful of times but only snapped up a couple of pictures the last time I brunched there. On this particular morning, my table ordered the Challah French toast with carmalized bananas (and no I did not order this as anyone who knows me well knows that I don't eat fruit) and the Shirred Eggs. Although I didn't enjoy the complete Challah french toast experience, since I could not partake in the carmalized bananas, what I did taste of the french toast itself was excellent: sweet, rich, dense, just enough fluff and just enough sogginess to make a divine bite. And Justin, who devoured the entire plate, can attest that if you like bananas, the caramalized bananas add a heavenly touch.
I've had the Shirred Eggs multiple times, not because the rest of the menu isn't fabulous, but because the Shirred Eggs are so good that it becomes difficult to order anything else once you've tasted this dish (although I could say the same thing about the Ranchero Eggs as well, but that will have to be another post..): " roasted potatoes, cheddar cheese, bacon, scallion, topped with eggs, married in the oven." The flavors truly burst, making this dish feel almost too complex, too flavorful, to be just...eggs. But obviously this is so much more than eggs and each ingredient compliments the ingredient next to it so that I literally had to take a figurative step back after every bite, just to enjoy the medley of flavors in my mouth.
If I haven't convinced you to try Deborah's at this point, then perhaps I should add that the waitstaff is the nicest, most cheerful bunch I ever seen in all of nyc. I'm so glad it's Friday - I'll see you at Deborah's this weekend!!
I've enjoyed brunch at Deborah's a handful of times but only snapped up a couple of pictures the last time I brunched there. On this particular morning, my table ordered the Challah French toast with carmalized bananas (and no I did not order this as anyone who knows me well knows that I don't eat fruit) and the Shirred Eggs. Although I didn't enjoy the complete Challah french toast experience, since I could not partake in the carmalized bananas, what I did taste of the french toast itself was excellent: sweet, rich, dense, just enough fluff and just enough sogginess to make a divine bite. And Justin, who devoured the entire plate, can attest that if you like bananas, the caramalized bananas add a heavenly touch.
I've had the Shirred Eggs multiple times, not because the rest of the menu isn't fabulous, but because the Shirred Eggs are so good that it becomes difficult to order anything else once you've tasted this dish (although I could say the same thing about the Ranchero Eggs as well, but that will have to be another post..): " roasted potatoes, cheddar cheese, bacon, scallion, topped with eggs, married in the oven." The flavors truly burst, making this dish feel almost too complex, too flavorful, to be just...eggs. But obviously this is so much more than eggs and each ingredient compliments the ingredient next to it so that I literally had to take a figurative step back after every bite, just to enjoy the medley of flavors in my mouth.
If I haven't convinced you to try Deborah's at this point, then perhaps I should add that the waitstaff is the nicest, most cheerful bunch I ever seen in all of nyc. I'm so glad it's Friday - I'll see you at Deborah's this weekend!!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Pasta X 2
In the past week I've made pasta for dinner twice which is rare for me - even though I'm not a believer in Atkins I think the whole "carbs are the devil" seeped into my brain because I usually eat something pastay/bready for lunch and not so much for dinner. So why did I make pasta twice for dinner you say? Well, the reasons not that exciting. I've been so busy with frank the tank and can't really leave my apartment to go grocery shopping unless someone is watching him like a hawk, so when I had to cook for two separate occasions (for different friends on different nights). I looked in my fridge and voila! Two meals came to life before my eyes. All you really need is some pasta, garlic, spinach, onions, olive oil, and some sauce, all ingredients that you'll likely have in your fridge already, and you can really throw together a delicious meal. Oh did I mention cheese? Yes, that was an extremely important element of both of my pasta dishes. I used fresh mozzarella, mmm.
The first pasta I made for my friend Rachel who I've been friends with since Middle School. We both live in NYC now but rarely get together because...well we really have no good reason but I've found that a lot of people have the same trouble with getting together with friends in NYC...for me it's basically an issue of laziness and having a cozy apartment makes it even harder to get off my butt and socialize. Anyway, I made rigatoni with spinach, garlic, olive oil and mozarella cheese. And it was tastyyyy.
The second pasta meal I made with my friend Sara. Another friend since long ago - she's appeared in this blog before (see Leela Lounge). And by "with my friend Sara" I mean she asked me if she could help and I responded "Sure, cut the garlic" to which she responded "What??? How do I do that??? No, seriously, I don't know. How??" so we settled on a comprimise and she ended up cutting the bread into little segments. Go Sara!! Thanks for the help! Although she did come with me grocery shopping beforehand to Gourmet Garage so really it was a team effort. We decided on homemade goat cheese ravoli and picked up some wine on the way home. We sauteed some garlic and spinach (I'm a big fan of this combo clearly), mixed in the vodka sauce and poured the whole thing on top of the steaming goatcheese ravoli. We barely got this picture taken before we ravenously dug in.
And guess what?? I'm not any fatter than I used to be!! Take that Atkins diet, carbs rule!!
The first pasta I made for my friend Rachel who I've been friends with since Middle School. We both live in NYC now but rarely get together because...well we really have no good reason but I've found that a lot of people have the same trouble with getting together with friends in NYC...for me it's basically an issue of laziness and having a cozy apartment makes it even harder to get off my butt and socialize. Anyway, I made rigatoni with spinach, garlic, olive oil and mozarella cheese. And it was tastyyyy.
The second pasta meal I made with my friend Sara. Another friend since long ago - she's appeared in this blog before (see Leela Lounge). And by "with my friend Sara" I mean she asked me if she could help and I responded "Sure, cut the garlic" to which she responded "What??? How do I do that??? No, seriously, I don't know. How??" so we settled on a comprimise and she ended up cutting the bread into little segments. Go Sara!! Thanks for the help! Although she did come with me grocery shopping beforehand to Gourmet Garage so really it was a team effort. We decided on homemade goat cheese ravoli and picked up some wine on the way home. We sauteed some garlic and spinach (I'm a big fan of this combo clearly), mixed in the vodka sauce and poured the whole thing on top of the steaming goatcheese ravoli. We barely got this picture taken before we ravenously dug in.
And guess what?? I'm not any fatter than I used to be!! Take that Atkins diet, carbs rule!!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The Spotted Pig: A-
The Spotted Pig
I decided I wanted to try The Spotted Pig a long time ago but never seemed to get around to it. It wasn't the distance that kept me away (it's a mere 5 minute walk...as is everything in the west village), but the mixed reviews of the restaurant. It seemed that depending on the pull of the moon, you could either have a phenomenal, cozy meal or average food with a side of unpleasantness and over-crowding.
The Spotted Pig is a West Village landmark, I'm not really sure why, but it just is. Apparently it's even somewhat of a celebrity hotspot which has always confused me considering it's outter appearance. I wouldn't use the words shabby or dingy by any means but other than the cute spotted pig painting hanging from the side of the building, it's just a plain looking square box from the outside. Appearances can be deceiving though....
Once inside, I realized that the seemingly small building actually gives way to multiple rooms and floors inside. We were quickly led upstairs to a small, warmly lit room shared only by an odd pair of men eating together - I say "odd" because one was completely blinged out in rapper gear and was glued to his cell phone until he abruptly got up from the table never to return, and the other man never spoke a word and then left when his credit card was denied (I'm pretty sure he went to an ATM and came back to pay but i decided to tune out at that point). In any case, we were off to a good, if not interesting, start. The waitor (an ironically nerdy looking fellow who closely resembled Napoleon Dynamite's brother) started us off with a glass of wine (for me) and a beer (for Justin). I believe The Spotted Pig is known for having a nice selection of beer but because I hate beer I can't really speak to that...maybe Justin can update this entry with his perspective later. We wanted to take our time and have a liesurely meal so even though I had already mapped out exactly what we were getting (choosing the two best sounding dishes from all the reviews I came across), we listened to the specials and told the waitor we needed a few minutes to decide. In this time, I ventured to find the bathroom and took in the upstairs scene of the restaurant. I was starting to understand the mixed reviews and unique appeal of this restaurant. There is a certain je ne sais quoi about the restaurant itself and its patrons...sorry that's not very descriptive but go to The Spotted Pig and you'll see how difficult it is to put your finger on the pulse of the restaurant. The crowd was fashionable and many seemed to be distant ancestors of the modern day hipster. These people seemed to be...dare i say...real hipsters, and that in itself made them not hipsters. I felt as if I were actually in the midst of a genuine artist colony, something I thought only existed in "old new york," rather than the paper mache version found in williamsburg.
We finally decided it was time to order - due to our not-so-ravenous appetites and the not-so-wallet-friendly prices, we spit two items: The Pumpkin Salad and the Sheep's Ricotta Gnudi. They arrived at the same time and we dug in. The Pumpkin Salad combined chunks of warm pumpkin pieces, argula, pecorino and a contrasting pucker-your-lips tangy dressing. The dressing was a bit too tart for me, but I had to appreciate the lovely arrangment, fresh pumpkin and creativity of the salad.
The Ricotta Gnudi on the other hand was pitch perfect. I'd never tasted Gnudi before but had always wanted to and this was a very nice first gnudi experience - I just realized it sounds like I'm talking about adult films...well I'm not, I'm talking about the deliciousness that were these little dumplings filled with ricotta cheese. Gnudi is much lighter than Gnocchi due to the fact that it is filled with ricotta and not made with potato. It was like eating a delicious edible pillow filled with ricotta cheese.
Unfortunately, we did not get dessert here because I was hell-bent on trying Rocco's - A pastry shop famous for their canolis that I walk by almost everyday but for some reason, a reason that goes against my personal love for all things chocolately and sweet, had not yet ventured into. I was bound to change this....tonight!! Stayed tuned for my full-blown Rocco's dessert experience.....
I decided I wanted to try The Spotted Pig a long time ago but never seemed to get around to it. It wasn't the distance that kept me away (it's a mere 5 minute walk...as is everything in the west village), but the mixed reviews of the restaurant. It seemed that depending on the pull of the moon, you could either have a phenomenal, cozy meal or average food with a side of unpleasantness and over-crowding.
The Spotted Pig is a West Village landmark, I'm not really sure why, but it just is. Apparently it's even somewhat of a celebrity hotspot which has always confused me considering it's outter appearance. I wouldn't use the words shabby or dingy by any means but other than the cute spotted pig painting hanging from the side of the building, it's just a plain looking square box from the outside. Appearances can be deceiving though....
Once inside, I realized that the seemingly small building actually gives way to multiple rooms and floors inside. We were quickly led upstairs to a small, warmly lit room shared only by an odd pair of men eating together - I say "odd" because one was completely blinged out in rapper gear and was glued to his cell phone until he abruptly got up from the table never to return, and the other man never spoke a word and then left when his credit card was denied (I'm pretty sure he went to an ATM and came back to pay but i decided to tune out at that point). In any case, we were off to a good, if not interesting, start. The waitor (an ironically nerdy looking fellow who closely resembled Napoleon Dynamite's brother) started us off with a glass of wine (for me) and a beer (for Justin). I believe The Spotted Pig is known for having a nice selection of beer but because I hate beer I can't really speak to that...maybe Justin can update this entry with his perspective later. We wanted to take our time and have a liesurely meal so even though I had already mapped out exactly what we were getting (choosing the two best sounding dishes from all the reviews I came across), we listened to the specials and told the waitor we needed a few minutes to decide. In this time, I ventured to find the bathroom and took in the upstairs scene of the restaurant. I was starting to understand the mixed reviews and unique appeal of this restaurant. There is a certain je ne sais quoi about the restaurant itself and its patrons...sorry that's not very descriptive but go to The Spotted Pig and you'll see how difficult it is to put your finger on the pulse of the restaurant. The crowd was fashionable and many seemed to be distant ancestors of the modern day hipster. These people seemed to be...dare i say...real hipsters, and that in itself made them not hipsters. I felt as if I were actually in the midst of a genuine artist colony, something I thought only existed in "old new york," rather than the paper mache version found in williamsburg.
We finally decided it was time to order - due to our not-so-ravenous appetites and the not-so-wallet-friendly prices, we spit two items: The Pumpkin Salad and the Sheep's Ricotta Gnudi. They arrived at the same time and we dug in. The Pumpkin Salad combined chunks of warm pumpkin pieces, argula, pecorino and a contrasting pucker-your-lips tangy dressing. The dressing was a bit too tart for me, but I had to appreciate the lovely arrangment, fresh pumpkin and creativity of the salad.
The Ricotta Gnudi on the other hand was pitch perfect. I'd never tasted Gnudi before but had always wanted to and this was a very nice first gnudi experience - I just realized it sounds like I'm talking about adult films...well I'm not, I'm talking about the deliciousness that were these little dumplings filled with ricotta cheese. Gnudi is much lighter than Gnocchi due to the fact that it is filled with ricotta and not made with potato. It was like eating a delicious edible pillow filled with ricotta cheese.
Unfortunately, we did not get dessert here because I was hell-bent on trying Rocco's - A pastry shop famous for their canolis that I walk by almost everyday but for some reason, a reason that goes against my personal love for all things chocolately and sweet, had not yet ventured into. I was bound to change this....tonight!! Stayed tuned for my full-blown Rocco's dessert experience.....
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